Staff Reports
At Mt. Eden High School in California, a shocking situation has been unfolding for the past few months. Henry Bens, an English teacher at the school, has been accused of pushing antisemitic beliefs in his classroom for several years. Reports have surfaced that he has used the Heil Hitler salute in class and forced students to read a book promoting the idea that the Jews manipulated the U.S. and Germany during WWII.
High School Teacher Saluted Hitler, Told Students They Were ‘Indoctrinated’ Against The Truth About Jewish People https://t.co/SaEpqYgiak
— US Burning (@UsBurning) February 22, 2023
In 2009, Benjamin Freedman authored a book called “The Hidden Tyranny,” which asserts that Jewish people influenced U.S. politicians and Germany during World War II, ultimately leading to the Holocaust. According to Jewish News of Northern California, Bens, who is a teacher, had his 10th-grade English students read excerpts from the book with the intention of enlightening them.
Testimony from both current and former students and colleagues of Bens suggests that school administrators were made aware of his behavior in December 2022, but did not take any action in response to concerns raised by them. During a board meeting on Feb. 15th, Heather Eastwood, an English teacher at Mt. Eden High School, publicly criticized the administration for their inaction.
“I come today to voice the alarm about the horrible silence of Mt. Eden High School and district administration,” Eastwood said. “My concern today is with the school administration, which has taken no action to fix this issue. Our department has received no help as we battle to combat antisemitism, and nothing has been done to address the damage caused to us as individuals and professionals forced to work with someone who attacked our character and credentials for refusing to antisemitism.”
According to a student who spoke with the Jewish News in Northern California, Bens denied the accusation of being antisemitic, arguing that the term “semitic” does not specifically refer to Jews in the dictionary. Furthermore, he told another student “I do not teach antisemitism. When individuals begin to lie, keep in mind that some people are [so] misled by what they perceive or think that they use children to lie.”
Bens’ Facebook page promotes the Black Hebrew Israelite ideology, which claims that black people are the true descendants of Jews, and also spreads the belief that Jewish people hold sway over the media. Despite these allegations, Bens’ name remains on the school’s website as a faculty member, and he has not been dismissed from his job.
The situation at Mt. Eden High School has sparked outrage among students, teachers and parents alike who are demanding that Bens be removed from his position and that the school take action to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated in their classrooms. The board is currently investigating the situation and is expected to release a decision soon on how to handle this troubling incident.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on The Daily Caller
